New England Mafia ex-capo will return to Boston with charges

This booking photo released by the Broward County Sheriff's Office shows Robert Paul DeLuca, arrested on June 27, 2016, and waived his right to a hearing on obstruction of justice charges in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
(Broward County Sheriff's Office via AP)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A former high-ranking member of the New England Mafia will be returned to Boston from Florida to face charges he lied to federal officials about the 1993 killing of a Boston nightclub owner.

WPRI-TV reports that 70-year-old Robert DeLuca waived his right to a hearing before a federal judge in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday. He's a former capo in the Patriarca crime family.

DeLuca is charged with obstruction of justice and making false statements. His attorney declined to comment.

According to a federal indictment unsealed Monday, DeLuca lied to federal authorities when he denied knowing anything about Steven DiSarro's disappearance. The indictment says DeLuca arranged with a former mob boss to have DiSarro's body buried in Providence, Rhode Island. DiSarro's remains were found behind a mill building in March.